''I consider him a very good player, even since last year. ... I'm not surprised at all that he's doing so well.'' -- John Urschel on DT DaQuan Jones.

It's been a year of breakthroughs for Penn State defensive tackle DaQuan
Jones, whose 324-pound frame was difficult for Navy to handle in the
Nittany Lions' 34-7 win last Saturday.

The 6-3 Jones recorded 1.5
tackles for loss against the Middies and spent a lot of additional time
in the backfield. It was the junior's best game to date after playing
behind All-American tackle Devon Still last season.

But Lions
coach Bill O'Brien on Tuesday seemed even more impressed with the
20-year-old Jones' academic achievements the last several months, saying
Jones "turned the corner there.''

Penn State defensive tackle DaQuan Jones has made huge strides on the field and in the classroom, according to Lions head coach Bill O'Brien.JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News

Jones, a high school standout at Johnson City in the Binghamton, N.Y., area, didn't disagree with O'Brien's assessment.

"I've put more time into it, really,'' Jones said of his classroom work.

"I've
spent more hours at study hall and, you know, wanted to get a little
extra work in, getting work done and anything extra credit.

"Before I didn't really take advantage of the study hall like I should have.''

You
never know when the light is going to go on for the good ones at Penn
State. And after two years working as a backup, Jones, a player who was
interested in Penn State in large part because of the presence of
veteran defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr., is taking college life
more seriously.

PSU's date with 1-1 Temple Saturday at Beaver
Stadium should make for a different kind of challenge for Jones. The Owls are
a run-first team and are expected to come right at PSU's defensive
front, whereas Navy relies on misdirection in the run game.

Lions redshirt junior right guard John Urschel believes Jones is ready for any offensive line.

"I
wouldn't put [Jones] under the category of, you know, someone who's
surprised people this year, or someone who's, you know, all of a sudden
he's become a good player for us,'' Urschel said.

"Because I
consider him a very good player, even since last year. I think he's a
great defensive lineman and I'm not surprised at all that he's doing so
well.

"Last year, he was a little bit in Devon's shadow but at the same time he was a very talented defensive tackle last year.''

As
part of his prep for 2012, Jones said he watched tape of Still, who
teamed with current PSU tackle Jordan Hill to form one of the best 1-2
punches inside in the Big Ten last season.

Penn State defensive tackle DaQuan Jones chases down Navy quarterback Trey Miller during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium.
JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-NewsJOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News

"[I was] really watching [Still] to see how he played, how violent he is at the line of scrimmage,'' Jones said.

"[It] really helped me coming into this year.''

Speaking of help for Jones, it doesn't hurt playing next to Hill, or having Johnson as your teacher.

Jones
said Johnson was also a big factor in his decision to remain at PSU
after the NCAA hit the program with heavy NCAA sanctions -- a four-year
postseason ban and a loss of 40 scholarships over the next four years --
in late July.

Jones, like every other player, had the option immediately transfer without restriction.

"If you look at the guys he's sent to the league, I mean, they're great players,'' Jones said when asked about Johnson.

"It
would have been really hard to find another D-line coach like that. Out
of respect, I stayed here for him and also I wanted to be dealing with
one of the best in the country and I think he's the right guy for the
job.''